


Magical Mysteries

by slutsofren



Series: Wizarding World AU [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1970s, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Kylo Ren Angst, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren and Rey Are Related, Mutual Pining, Not Ben Solo Friendly, Reader-Insert, Seduction to the Dark Side, Slow Burn, Tags Contain Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 10:55:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24349867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slutsofren/pseuds/slutsofren
Summary: Hogwarts, 1978: Ben Solo and you are the best of friends, his mother is the Minister for Magic which puts a large target on his back being the wizarding community's supposed Golden Child and the leading example for fellow witches and wizards. Being his only friend has also led you to be ostracised with him. His life has been threatened repeatedly and you stayed beside him. But, this story isn't just about him being targeted by others, it's also the tale of either your illustrious fall with him to the darker side of magic, or your own saving grace to leave him to his virtues.*********I've been trying to re-read HP for this since I haven't read any of the books in literally over 15 years but there's just a LOT that I either straight up don't remember or don't care about so I kept the integrity of most things and only changed and added some extra bits to fit the narrative.Lastly, there are going to be quite a bit of easter eggs in this, everything from other books, video games, music, shows, movies, etc. I'll be giving "house points" to whoever can name them first for each chapter and whichever singular person guesses the most by the end will get something extra :^)
Relationships: Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Reader, Kylo Ren/Reader, Kylo Ren/You
Series: Wizarding World AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1732390
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue: Trust

Six years had passed since you first walked into the Great Hall. Six years since you met Ben Organa-Solo. In all that time both you and Ben had changed so much physically. Where he grew much taller and broader over the years, developing into the strong young man you knew he was, you changed in ways that only accentuated your humbled attractiveness. 

You let your hair grow longer and longer each year, as did Ben when he could afford to, it was the 1970s afterall, by now your hair was long enough to reach your waist. A true accomplishment since you constantly fussed with it. Eventually it settled down a lot when Ben began braiding your hair from time to time. It was a comforting task for the two of you.

The best thing that changed for you both was your developments as magical people. Your strengths in herbology and potions were only rivaled by Ben. He was also well accomplished in potions as well due to a certain tutor you both shared, but he soared in charms and astronomy. Although your studies were close to perfection, everything else was not.

Your first year was as difficult you could have possibly imagined but you were forever grateful for having Ben with you. When you arrived with little to nothing but your full-blood Kneazle, something you’d deny your cat ever was, you felt overwhelmingly unprepared in comparison to the other students.

Ben had been gracious enough to help conceal your cat’s heritage and in doing so, coined his name, Anubis. You, in turn, named his great horned owl Athena. Both your companions took not only a liking to their new names but also to each other and would often be seen cozying about somewhere in the Slytherin common room. Ben never let you go without whenever he could, always bringing you whatever supplies you might have needed “just because”.

Since the two of you had begun your magical education, you minded to yourselves as best you could. It did prove to be rather difficult. Some of the elder Gryffindor students were almost always on your case because you had taken to defending another Slytherin boy. You and Ben caught a group of boys dangling him from his ankle, high in the sky using magic.

You disarmed the apparent leader, one James Potter. This led to a mild brawl between the group of bullies and you and Ben. Peter, the rat-faced boy ran away, the one named Sirius fought Ben and you fought James. Remus opted out of this small brawl and saw it as “unmanly” to hit you. You were sure to add a few well placed punches on James for that to prove a point.

When all was said and done, you ended up with a black eye and a few bruises. Ben, on the other hand, had fractured ribs, a broken nose, and a couple bite marks- he wasn’t happy about that. The boy in question was older by two years and his name was Severus Snape. He wasn’t fond of either of you at first but you bugged him enough to at least be tolerated by him. 

As a result of the fight, Dumbledore was advised to expel you both, the bullies included, but the Ministry sent an advisor to meet with the Headmaster and you two were able to walk away without consequences on behalf of the school outside a bloody red howler.

It was sent by Ben’s mother who was not impressed with your chivalry as well as Ben’s “ineptitude to be a leader and not a follower”. This soured his mood for quite some time seeing as the entire school knew about it by the end of the day. Although you both left this debacle with little to no consequences, the group of Gryffindor boys were sent on a week long detention in the Forbidden Forest and lost 50 house points- each.

Ever since then, the Gryffindor house all made it a point to target you two. It didn’t bother you for the first year or so, you felt a sense of pride knowing that you did the right thing. It only became more inconvenient when they began to mess with your studies. That only fueled your drive to do better, to be better.

Ben, on the other hand, wanted less to do with this type of attention, he felt it to be too bothersome and invasive, which it was. They’d begin rumors about him, his family. All this did was further alienate him from others as they began to whisper about his background. As for you they’d only temper with your schooling since nobody knew of your father’s “infamy” in Europe.

Your fellow Slytherins either ignored both of your existences or quite simply cared to not get involved with the rivalry. Surprisingly enough, the general house feeling was to attempt winning the house cup as many years in a row as possible, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had been dominating that title for the past four years at the very least.

The boy you defended, Severus Snape, acknowledged you two well enough eventually, offering to help your studies in potions since you had kind of guilted him into the position of tutor. You managed to begin scoring high marks since Severus made it relatively easy as he lent you his copy of Advanced Potions Making every once in a while. This alongside your affinity for botanical witchcraft seemed perfect. Aside from being your tutors, he kept to himself, much like the team you developed with the Minister's son. Alas, he wouldn’t be caught dead being seen with either of you but you would meet, albeit secretly, in one of the abandoned girls' bathrooms for his lessons once a week.

Due to Severus’ teachings you began to take to making whatever precautions you felt would be needed eventually. Ben often found himself either hurt or in need of aid and you always seemed to have his needs prepared before he even opened his mouth. This sparked his new nickname for you, Starlight. The one who always knew how to light the way.

Eventually the rumors and overall whispers began to grow more and more irritable. By the time your fifth year had rolled around, you needed to help Ben find an escape. You couldn’t sit by and watch your best friend cave into himself, becoming more reserved around you as if you were the exact same people he did not trust.

It felt like forever and a half until you found the perfect thing. You called it “The Attic”. It was not but what seemed to be but a small abandoned classroom on one of the most southern towers at the school. There was a large window facing the front of the school, where you could see the bridge that welcomed students each year if they came from the carriages. The other window facing the west allowed you to see the sunset from the room perfectly every evening.

Ben became more and more curious the more you slipped out from the common room without saying anything to him. These antics had gone on for about two weeks before he confronted you.

“Where do you think you’re going,” he warily said your name. His hand gripped your upper arm when you tried to scoot around behind him without him noticing one evening. 

You felt anxious, staring at him like this, with your secret to hide, a surprise you couldn’t wait to show. “I can’t tell you yet but please,” you begged in a hushed whisper, “trust me.” Ben let go of your arm and nodded, watching you give a half smile and turn around, disappearing behind the common room doorway. He had half a mind to follow you but he stayed where he sat at the desk.

Not once in your entire friendship did he ever think about trust when it came to you. It felt like a foreign concept entirely. Being around you felt intoxicating, as if being next to you solved every problem he ever had.

Trust.

Yeah, he believes he trusts you.

He stayed put in that chair all night, even ignoring the Slytherin Head Boy calling everyone to bed for lights out. He stayed rooted in the chair, waiting for your return, clutching a letter in his hand that Athena, his wonderful owl, delivered earlier in the day. In the far corner of the room, he could hear the clock chiming, alerting him that it was now midnight.

Ben let out a heavy sigh and burned the letter, the contents lost in the flames. A problem for another day.

Deep in thought, the entry to the common room opened slowly, slipping past Ben’s attention. You walked closer behind him, watching him as he concentrated on the burning parchment.

You whispered his name and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, “Why are you still awake?”

He turned to look at you. His eyes filled with weariness and a hush of anger. “Where did you go?” He avoided your question.

You lowered your hood and flashed a big grin, excitement growing within the confines of your belly. “Let me show you tomorrow? I promise, you’ll really enjoy it.”

Ben searched your eyes and saw you were not going to hide your secret from him no longer and he conceded with a shallow nod. 

The very next day, you both left dinner in the Great Hall early and you led him by his hand, taking the right hallway then a left to a spiral staircase, then up the changing stairways, up up up and up, almost not stopping.

He was beginning to get annoyed, thinking you’d led him on some wild goose chase until you stopped dead in your tracks in front of a door, you spun around, excitement making your whole body feel like it was vibrating.

“Here, this is what I’ve been working on, it’s for you- for us to come to whenever we want,” you word vomited.

Ben looked at you with furrowed brows as you gestured to the handle, encouraging him to open the door. As he did, you clapped your hands together, hoping- praying he likes this place.

Inside was the abandoned classroom you had found when you went looking for the Slytherin Prefect one day, it was dusty and filled with magical creatures that began to make their home there but now, now it was filled with a brown couch, a small bed, a brown desk, some books, a record player and vinyl, a calligraphy set, and a plethora of other, much smaller details.

When you first began to rearrange this space for the two of you, you made a deal with some of the magical beings: you would never take away their home and made a deal to share the space, even making them all small nests throughout the room, one special one filled with a small family of bowtruckles. You earned their trust by offering them some woodlice and a never ending pile of it for them.

When Ben walked into the space, his eyes darted so fast around, trying to absorb each and every detail, every piece of you that you offered to share from the muggle world with him, and the bits of him that were around, decorations you had sought to placate some of his interests like the calligraphy set- something he mentioned was a minor hobby of his since childhood.

His heart swelled with emotions- so much you have given him and he felt he has done nothing in comparison, that you are the very sunshine that peaks through the leaves on a sunny day. Tears began to well in his eyes over this grand gesture of yours.

And so, you two spent every available free time in that room, The Attic. This place truly felt like a home away from home for you both.

Ben, one of the best spell masters you knew, casted an undetectable expansion charm on a pair of satchels so you could bring stuff from home to this space, but being careful not to bring anything much too large.

You wouldn’t tell him how you managed to sneak a whole couch and bed in there, there could be a few innocent secrets between you both.

He took another turn to look around the new room for you both, letting his large hand leave featherlight touches on the items you had decorated the room in, the muggle records being his favorite- so much he didn’t know about that world. Your world. The one outside everything magical, everything he was constantly surrounded by.

“Th- thank you, Starlight.”

“Anything for you,” you smiled. 


	2. Goodbyes & Promises

“Do you have to leave,” Ben whined. You gave him a short laugh as you packed your suitcase. He had come over when you sent Anubis, your cat, to deliver him a letter, telling him that you and your parents were leaving for Paris for the summer.

Ben sprawled his large body across your bed, looking over the various records you had imported from America- you were currently obsessed with Motown music. Diana Ross’ soulful voice filled your bedroom, singing of love and warm embraces. “Yes, of course I do,” you responded, albeit a little disgruntled seeing him put his feet on your bedsheets.

“Feet. Off. Now,” emphasizing with a lighthearted wack on his nice black boots. Ben let out a loud groan, adjusting his massive body. He had grown so much over the past few years, you had too but not nearly as much as him. Ben liked to joke that you were an entire foot shorter than him but that was further from the truth. 

“How long will you be in Paris then?”

You stopped folding the corduroy skirt in your arms, “I’m not sure, truthfully. Father says we should pack for the entire summer just to be safe but I suspect he doesn’t wish to stay so long.”

“Good, because I will apparate there to get you and bring you home,” he lightheartedly admitted.

“Oh, hush Ben, you know you’re not allowed to apparate.”

“Actually, little Miss Fontaine, being the appointed son of the wizarding community, you should be keen on noticing that I can do whatever I want.”

You gave the dense boy a panned look, cocking an eyebrow. “You say that yet you’ve seldom gotten in trouble since I met you!” Ben grabbed one of your plushies from your bed, a black bear that you had since childhood, and tossed it in your general direction. “Hey!”

The laughter that filled your bedroom felt like literal sunlight on a depressing day, you always felt joy being around your one truest friend. “Listen, just be safe okay?” You gave him a soft grin and nodded.

“I’ll try,” you raised your hands innocently, “there’s no guarantee that trouble won’t find me.”

“Remind me why you have to leave again,” Ben whined.

You turned around and had your back to him as you went though your salves and tinctures, thinking of which ones to pack with you. “Apparently the Ministry is sending my father to Paris for some project and he’d be gone too long so my mother and I are going with him.”

“Yeah, but,” he sighed, hugging a pillow close, “Why? My mother has said nothing about sending you guys down there. It doesn’t make sense.”

You turned to face him once again, leaning against your desk. “Then, I don’t know. My father got a parcel the other day and there was a letter and some book. That’s all I know.”

“I wonder why you’re being sent to Paris then. Sounds nice but, not for that long.”

You sat next to him on your bed, your tan wool skirt crinkled around your waist. He rose to sit, facing you. A small frown was setting on his lips, “Promise me you’ll be safe?”

You let out an airy laugh, “I said I’ll try!”

He grabbed your hand. “I’m not playing around. There’s been whispers of something bad happening,” he pauses. “It’s been driving my mother and the rest of the Ministry up the walls. You’re my best friend, if anything happened to you and I couldn’t do anything to help? I’d be devastated.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me. I promise. Besides,” you assured him, “My father is the strongest wizard I know!”

Your father was the head Auror at MACUSA when your family lived in America, but since his transfer due to some unfortunate situations, your family was uprooted and he accepted a lowly title with the Ministry of Magic.

It didn’t mean much to you but you knew how strong and powerful your father was, the only thing wrong with him was loving a no-maj, a muggle. Shame was never in your vocabulary whenever it came to who your parents were, but it was something you weren’t fond of talking about, even to Ben.

“I thought I was the strongest wizard you knew!”

You stuck your tongue at him and jumped up to finish packing. Ben stayed, as he always did. Your home was the one place where he felt safe enough to let his guard down, knowing that you would never sell him out to the Daily Prophet. This was the one place he felt content.

The rest of the day felt more of the same, jovial chatting between the two of you until the moment you had to leave. Ben was given permission to temporarily move into your home while your family was gone, “No, I couldn’t allow that Mr. Fontaine.”

“Enough with the formality, Ben, you’re family to us. You know to call us by our first name. Say it with me now, Atlas and Luna.”

Faintly, you could hear your mother laughing in the next room, preparing the area in the kitchen for your portkey travels.

Ben looked at you, only mildly defeated. “Atlas, I don’t feel entirely too comfortable just moving in.”

Your mother took this to come join you all in the living room, “Here then, take this.” She handed him an old charm of hers that your father, Eric, casted a spell on back in America when the two first began dating.

The charm was in the shape of a small simple silver ring, and would allow Ben entry to their home safely and quietly whenever he pleased. “I- Thank you, Mrs- I mean, Luna. Thank you. I’ll be sure to take care of it.

Your family left, choosing to travel by portkey. As your family arrived in Paris, the sun was kissing the sky goodnight as the moon slowly rose over the eastern horizon. 

The summer home was fairly nice, it was located in the Quartier de Purpliers, just off Rue Damesme. The house was two stories and looked like it was pulled out of a French Art Nouveau gallery.

The walls were decorated in dark contrasting colors depicting women of all shapes and sizes, many of which winked at you as you would walk by. You laid a hand on the stairwell railing, giving each magical portrait a polite greeting.

In your temporary bedroom, there was a framed portrait with a small plaque reading: Divan Japonaise, a lithograph by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec raised above the bed. 

“Oh, hello,” you put your trunk and enchanted satchel down.

The woman in the painting looked over her shoulder and nodded at you, acknowledging your presence. Her sly smirk kind of irked you, as if she knew what your future held and wanted to bare witness silently. Your mother explained that the house was used for Ministry personnel only and therefore magical friendly so you only hoped that this was her general look, hoping others took notice of her mystery.

There was a tapping on your window, somewhat spooking you. When you approached it, you spotted Athena, Ben’s loving owl, in all her grey glory with a wax sealed letter in her beak. “Come inside, little one.”

She flew into the room and landed on the bare desk in the corner. She dropped the letter as soon as you gave her obligatory head rubs. As soon as she let out a gentle hoot, Anubis came running up the stairs, wanting to greet his dearest friend too.

You gave a small chuckle at the two getting cozy on your bed as you sat at the desk and opened the letter from none other than Ben Organa.

“Didn’t think I’d write so soon? Of course I did. Well, I forgot to mention when I left that mother dearest has to attend another gala later this summer in London. She’s bringing me along but I wanted to know if you’d want to go- as friends, you know? I’ll let you know when the date of the gala is later and you don’t have to worry about a dress or anything. I’m sure mother will have something with her people set up. Anyways, let me know, we miss you already here. Ben.”

You laughed out loud at his letter, he writes like he talks sometimes. You turned to the two furry friends on your bed, “Athena, would you mind if I sent a letter back with you? You can rest here for tonight.”

The great horned owl gave you another hoot and tucked herself back into the snuggle pile with Anubis, graciously accepting the rest period. You would send a reply with nothing short of the same humor and lightheartedness as his, accepting the invitation and looking forward to going back to London for a few days as you were positive you would be a little homesick for the city.

The letter set you brought with you contained your favorite seal, a soft purple wax and your stamp marked with a bushel of lavender. Ben gifted you this set for your first winter celebration as friends six years ago, he even got the wax enchanted so it would never run out. He always knew how to give the best gifts, they were always well thought out and items that could be useful and practical. This warmed your heart very much.

Grabbing one of your spare pens you wrote back, “I’m glad to hear from you so soon. Athena stayed the night so I hope you won’t be too worried for her, she’s enjoying some time with Anubis on the bed. To answer your question though, yes! I think it’ll be fun, just keep me informed, I’ll let my parents know. I think I have some floo powder somewhere, if not maybe see if I can get special permission from Madam Minister to apparate back home. Hint hint. Anubis and I miss you dearly. XO, Little Miss Fontaine.”

You slowly folded the letter together into a pocket, making sure to add a small snippet of lavender under the seal. It was always fun being a little extra with your snail mail. Behind you, you could hear both yours and Ben's companions resting peacefully but as for you, there was something that gnawed on the back of your mind, filling this night with restlessness.

If there was only an answer to your worries, you felt there might have been a small reprieve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super super small chapter to kick off some troubles for little witchy MC! Come yell at me @slutsofren on tumblr!


	3. What Lies in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paris isn't quite what it seems.

Hot summer days melded into weeks, you and your mother didn’t leave the home much at all, there was no need to. Your father, Atlas, on the other hand left every single night only to return bloody and beaten. At first this worried you but soon enough, he and your mother reassured you it was work for the Ministry.

Reassurance or not, it unsettled you.

The more you were cooped up in the house with only your mother and the paintings to talk to, the more restless you grew. So, you decided enough was enough and chose to take a walk around the magical underground of Paris.

At first, your outings were short and you didn’t venture far, but as days turned, you found yourself seeking out more and more magical places along with the mundane. The very blood in your veins called for you to explore more of the city, admiring how the sun reflected off the facades of the buildings, leaving you wonderfully blinded to your surroundings some evenings. Allowing you to get lost in the labyrinth of streets, following the smells of coffee and bread all around you, stifling the air with it’s pleasant aromas.

The Parisian wizarding community seemed to be open and proud wherever it could peek through these cracks in between the buildings, like shadowy alleys creeping it’s fingers, calling to you and the other magical folk. There were many entrances to this underground community which seemed to mirror the exact architecture and vibes the muggle world gave but with just that much more sparkle, mystery, and life.

You took a new route to the magical underworld, the sparkling arrows showing you where to turn. The wand you carried in your sleeve began to tingle against your arm as if giving a warning, you walked on and ignored it. After a couple wrong turns from missing the signs, you finally arrived. A grand statue in the middle of a courtyard greeted you.

The statue was that of a woman, standing tall with golden wings. Her head was held high and face marred with scars as if she walked fresh off a battlefield victorious. As you approached her, she looked down at you and allowed you into the entrance, placed just behind the plaque commemorating her. You gave the statue a smile, one she did not return, and walked in.

You spent a few hours idling around, making a point to stop and look about many shops. One in particular, LeVoir’s Lovely Ladies: Flora Fortuna, stood out to you most. Out of all the shops you had visited thus far, this was one that you had yet to visit, dreading how much wizarding money you’d enviably spend there. Botanical magic was your calling and just simply judging by the outer decor, you knew it was just the perfect place for you.

There was a gentle chime as you opened the heavy door, instantly, your senses were flooded with rich scents of citrus and pine, of mugworm and bane. Of every scent you had grown familiar with in Madam Pomfrey’s courses. This store was an apothecary, something that you came to admire. The room was filled with a variety of drawers and glass bottles, each containing different herbs, liquid, and ingredients.

You approached a display, one that seemed to have aquatic plants and began to fiddle around. There was a strong buzzing in your fingers, wanting to touch everything and buy it all but you didn’t want to disturb the beautiful placement of everything.

“Good afternoon,” a woman spoke from deeper in the store, interrupting your thoughts. She came around the curtain she had just been behind, separating the two rooms. She was exceptionally tall, with beautiful dark skin, as if the sun kissed her good morning each day. With a face as beautiful and full as hers, it wouldn’t surprise you if she truly was the wife of the Greek god Apollo.

“Daphne LeVoir,” she placed her hand out to greet you, “A pleasure.”

Your hand met hers in a polite handshake, introducing yourself as well. “Your shop is incredible, I love the fresh smell of,” you closed your eyes and inhaled, “Lavender.”

“Oh, yes, we grow all of our goods here. Are you akin to herbology?”

You picked up a small vial of gillyweed from the counter closest to you, “I am, it’s my best subject in school.”

“You aren’t from Beauxbatons, though, no?”

You shook your head, “I’m a student at Hogwarts.”

Her smile lit up the entire store and she clapped her hands together, “Professor Dumbledore is such a pleasure to talk to, I miss that clever old man.”

You returned the vial back to it’s spot on the counter, surprise taking you momentarily. “You know him?”

“Know him? Darling, I saved his handsome little coattails during the final battle with Grindlewald,” her silky voice filled with pride. For a moment, just the briefest moment, you were stunned. Naturally, you had heard of plenty of your headmaster’s accomplishments although it had never seemed tangible to you and others. It always seemed like some far off moment in history, a lifetime ago. 

Seeing this woman, who radiated peaceful energy and rosy power, speak of it as if it were yesterday made you feel like you were interacting with history itself. You pressed on, “That’s remarkable! I’ve only read little of the war, my father isn’t keen on talking about it much, nor my mother. How did it feel to fight in a war?”

She stepped away for a moment, circling her shop, fixing up the fixtures of vials and plants. It seemed that she took this time to think, choosing her words carefully. “It was difficult, but without a doubt, if you fight for what you believe in, for love and those who rely on you, it is well worth it in the end. War is frightening, dear, and never should happen as much as it does, alas, if you align yourself with those whom you would die for, and they you, war is just that much less scary.”

The two of you fell in comfortable silence as you both wandered around the shop. You browsed her wares, picking up and examining various vials, little trinkets filled with herbs and ingredients to ward off nightmares and such. You found yourself lingering by the goods where it overall felt much darker. Above the glass containers was a sign simply stating ‘strength’ in bold red letters. You didn’t know much of what was concocted in the vials but you were reminded of your dearest friend Ben.

He struggled with his place in this world much more than you had imagined when you first met all those years ago, and by the stars, you knew he could do with a little boost of strength. You felt a shadow linger over you and you turned slowly, realizing Madame LeVoir’s presence behind you.

“I sense you are already strong for one your age,” she spoke, her French accent sounding like a melodic harmony.

You gave her a shadow of a smile. “Not for me, a friend. He,” you paused, “he struggles with finding his voice through his magic. Everyone always looks at him like he’s going to explode and lose his mind, I feel as if maybe he needs a boost in his confidence and strength from time to time.”

She placed a hand over her chest, “You love him.”

“What- no, he’s just my best friend,” you stumbled over your words. You felt the tips of your ears and nose radiating warmth, hoping she wouldn’t notice how much you flushed.

Madam Levoir’s face radiated happiness like sunshine, looking as if she knew something you didn’t. The smile reached every inch of her immaculate face, until it didn’t. Her face contorted as if she smelled something awful as she looked over you. Then her eyes flickered over your shoulder, out the shop window, she placed a firm hand on you and gently pushed you. “Don’t move and stay quiet.”

“Wh-,” you let out a huff as the room around you swirled, spinning itself in a colorful cyclone. Suddenly you landed in an area unfamiliar to you. Your breathing was shaking, unsure of what was happening around you.

The dark room you were now in was filled with more tiny vials and boxes, there was a small desk illuminated with an oil lamp glowing in the center of the room. Upon the desk was a lizard-like creature, a mix of blue and purple, large eyes, and a large mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. It hissed at you before scurrying under some papers.

There was an open doorway leading to a dark hall, you tried to step towards it but found your feet stuck to the ground, only able to turn around in the spot you landed in. From down the other end of the hall, you could distantly hear the chime of the front door to the shop being open.

Voices began to creep through that end, you heard Madame LeVoir speaking politely, responding to some deeper voices that emanated darkness. Each time one of the voices spoke aloud, you felt drained. You felt your body feeling heavy with each word, your hands began to shake and knees almost giving out.

Sleep, you wanted to lay down and sleep. Black spots began to touch the corners of your vision, slowly consuming your mind. It would be so easy to just close your eyes.

You slowly began to lower your body to the ground, a hand reaching down to feel for the ground. You didn’t hear the chime signalling the strangers leaving and hurried footsteps coming from the hall.

Faintly, you heard Madame LeVoir’s soft voice, “There you are little witch, come on wake up.” Her warm hands came around your shivering body, lifting you up. You raised a hand to your eyes, trying to rub away the darkness from your head which left static-like tingles all over your limbs, an unwelcome dance on your skin.

She escorted you to her desk and sat you down, summoning a kettle of hot tea and two small cups. The smell wafting through the air mingled with the herbs creating a soothing smell to your frazzled senses. “What happened, what was that?”

“That was a bit of nastiness, no,” she tried to sound lighthearted but there were hints of anger and frustration in the undertone.

A groan left your lips as you began to feel more alert, aware of just how sore and drained you truly felt. “I’m so sorry little witch,” she pouted, her eyes filling with worry and brows drawn in frustration, “There’s dark forces, truly evil ones lurking in the shadows.”

“What do you mean,” you asked, not fully understanding what she was alluding to just yet.

She summoned another chair, sitting across you and began to serve tea for the two of you. “When Grindelwald began his reign, he accrued followers with his delicious words and promises of grandeur. My twin brother fell for those lucious lies,” she spat. Anger began to waif off her body before she looked to you and snuffed those emotions. “There’s another. One who wishes to accomplish more than what Grindelwald started. This monster wants to create what he perceives as peace for both us magic born and those without, but he wants them under our foot. He sees muggle-borns as being nothing and wants them to submit to us pureblooded folk and he is more than willing to kill for his cause, no matter your heritage.”

As she spoke those words, your body began to chill, sending tingles down your spine. Your no-maj mother lingering on your mind, you opened your mouth to ask her a question but she continued on.

“Those people that came in a moment ago were his followers, they call themselves Death Eaters. One of them is a death witch, everywhere she walks she drains life and hope,” she pauses, encouraging the tea to your lips, “drink, it’ll help.”

“I don’t understand, Madame LeVoir, why did they come here, what did they want,” you muttered as confusion wrapped around your face. As you drank the concoction she brewed, your body began to regain its strength, returning you to the same person you were before you had entered the shop.

Her eyes scanned over you, taking your weakened state in but also assessing who you were. Finally she let out a heavy sigh, then looked at you with pity, wondering how to explain the things you didn't know, what she would do to help you. “They’re tracking you.”

You could feel yourself go faint at her admission, fingers loosening from around your cup. She grabbed it from your hands and placed it on the desk, her other reaching to hold your now sweaty hands.

“What makes you say that,” you shudder.

She looks deeply into your eyes, you feel as if she’s reading your every facial twitch, making you feel naked. She’s peering into your soul, deep down, you know this. She avoids your question entirely and asks, “Sweet girl, I need to ask, why are you in Paris?”

You looked at your joint hands, your mouth going dry, unsure of what she is saying. “I- My father, he was sent by the Ministry to do some sort of work here but I don’t know much more than that, truly.” Ignoring the fact she didn’t answer your question.

Madame LeVoir raised her hand to caress your cheek, “You are safe here in my shop for the time being, but sooner or later you will have to return to your little home. I can do my best to teach you as much as I can within the next few hours but I must insist, remember everything I tell you. Hear me?”

Your life being in some semblance of danger wasn’t a primary concern, it was everybody else. “Why are you helping me,” your voice barely above a whisper.

She looked at you, her face feigned with confidence but her betraying eyes expressed worry as well as pity. 

“When the war against Grindelwald was high, he killed many with no disregard. If you were a pureblood he would try to manipulate you into his following and his numbers grew larger and larger. He warned us about the second muggle war, how they would kill each other by the thousands,” she paused, “when he came for my family, he killed my little sister. In fact, he made my brother do it to prove his loyalty since I refused to join. Said it would haunt me for my mistakes.”

Her face contorted in pain, “No more young ones should have to die and be lost in pointless wars for our magic, we are magical beings and we should not be indoctrinated by false idols and be led by tyranny. I am determined to never see any more death at the hands of the terrors in the dark.”

You nodded your head, mind fluttering with worries and thoughts about your family and of your dearest Ben.

“How did you know about these Death Eaters,” you asked, your voice feeling weak, yet still trying to see if you could get more answers than questions from this woman you’ve just barely met, “and how did you know they were following me?”

She looked uncomfortable, adjusting herself in her seat. Her brown eyes flashed a golden hue before returning to brown, something that instantly startled you. “Quite simply, cher, they placed a tracker on you. When I touched you before, I broke that nasty bit.”

“But why,” more and more questions swirled in you.

She hesitated, looked away, then her eyebrows furrowed while she swirled with her own thoughts. “I don’t know, only that what is befalling you is undeserved and I will not stand for it.”

You took what she said as truth and nodded.

“Then, let’s get started, cher.”

The tea ran cold whilst being cradled in your hands, your new friend ran down the hall momentarily, assumingly closing her shop down for the day. You could faintly hear little trinkets of glass clinking together as she gathered who knows what, a little rustle startled you but quickly you came to realize the small lizard creature popped their little head out from underneath the parchment from earlier.

Behind you, you could feel the warm presence of Madame LeVoir as she came and settled a variety of roots, mixtures, ingredients, and books on the table. “I will be honest, cher, I do not know where to begin. It has been so long since I’ve had to do any of this kind of magic-,” she pauses, her breath shaking, you notice some tears wanting to fall from her eyes but she blinks them away. “You are far too young to know any of this but you must. Teach every single person you know and hopefully, hopefully you and every one you love will survive whatever it is that lingers in the future.”

She takes your hand and holds it. You give her a small smile, it doesn’t reach your eyes. No words leave your lips because there is nothing you could possibly say to lighten the heaviness in the room.

When you first walked into the apothecary in the morning, never would you have imagined what unfolded. Strength in a bottle to Death Eaters, rumors of wars and dark lords. It bewildered your mind and clouded each and every single one of your senses.

Hours were spent with your beautiful friend, she taught you dozens of new things. From apperating without detection using a moonstone ring which she graciously gifted you, lessons over tea granted you insight to darker magic- ancient words that should only be spoken in emergencies. 

Most importantly she taught you about yourself.

You came to discover new things about your magic, you naturally felt far more acclimated to more natural witchcraft, especially that which lies around the botanical magic, and through her recommendations found that carrying a small mandragora chip on your person, that your magic was increased significantly. She called it a channel and amplifier.

It felt nice, to feel comfortable with the magic that flowed through your veins. Sometimes you felt your magic wasn’t nearly as strong as somebody like Ben, who was not just a pure blood wizard but whose blood was magical royalty. It didn’t always bother you, but when it did it usually tied when he scored better on the potions exams. Something you still struggled with to this day.

Soon after you left that fateful evening, you returned nightly to her shop for her to teach you more and more magic; some dark, some light, but it was always about the balance of magic. The balance of nature.

The long-standing reservation you had with Madam Levoir gave you a sense of structure you didn’t know you needed through this chaos. Your father was still returning nightly bloodied and bruised, feigning all honesty that came with the marks. Your mother on the other hand grew weary each and every day, her hair growing greyer and greyer.

One night, the wind howled and howled outside of your window, signalling omens. The front door to the safe house was busted in- your mother screaming somewhere behind you. In walked your father, far more bloodied and battered than you had ever seen.

His left eye was missing from it’s socket and his left arm was nowhere to be seen, burns scorched his entire left side as well. It wasn’t until you took notice did the smell hit you- burning flesh and singed hair and cloth, it made you gag as it stifled the air with it’s putrid smell.

Even though the look in his one eye said all you had to know at this moment, he clutched a leatherbound journal in his right hand. Not once loosening his grip on it no matter how hard you and your mother tried to relieve it from his grip.

Together, you both helped clean your father as best you could with the newly learned healing magic Madam LeVoir taught you as well as no-maj medicine your mother knew. Staunching the wounds was the easiest part, the healing process was going to be a nightmare.

He fell asleep in between moaning and groanings of pain, howling so loud you were afraid he’d wake the ghosts that surely haunted the streets of Paris. Every so often he’d mumble, trembling whilst still gripping that damned journal, whispers of “a cave, dark magic, a secret entrance, ancient witchcraft, too dangerous. A guardian who speaks and maims all who enter the secret place without being worthy.”

Whatever it was he spoke of was lost on you.

Hours upon hours the two of you paced, impatiently waiting for him to awaken. When he did, he let out a harrowing scream that could have been from a banshee itself. Everything was beginning to be too much, far too much for you to handle- Death Eaters, dark lords, looming war, your father half dead, your best friend whom you haven’t heard from in weeks. It was just beginning to be too much!

Darkness enveloped you, cradling your body in its cold embrace welcoming you home.

When you awoke, you noticed it was dark once again. Faintly you could hear hushed voices angrily arguing over something you couldn’t decipher. Barefoot, you tiptoed out of your room, wincing when the door to your bedroom creaked and groaned. The voices didn’t stop and continued their hushed argument. You sat at the top of the stairs listening intently and could hear your parents.

“-must do this, if I don’t then we will all die.”

You could hear your mother choke out a sob down below. Their shadows elongated from the kitchen showed her throwing herself into your father's arms. Whatever was happening you have had enough.

Stomping down the stairs, you interrupted their conversation. Your father, one of the strongest people you knew looked defeated and small, the opposite of the man he used to be. 

“What the hell is happening,” you demanded. You’ve never, once, in your life raised your voice at them but this time, you have had it. “No more secrets, no more lies, what is happening?”

Your mother walked out of the kitchen without another word, ignoring your question. Your father just looked at you, weariness written across his face as he grumbled your name. “I believe it’d be best for you to go to the Organa Manor in the morning, pack your stuff up tonight. It would do you well not to argue with me.”

Your mouth opened and closed, not knowing what to say.

“No, that’s bullshit. You talk to me!”

He sat in one of the dining table chairs, hand covering his only eye not wanting to face you. “Raise your voice at me one more time, and I will drag you out of this house one way or another.”

“Tell that to the fucking Death Eaters then.” He didn’t bother looking at you when you ran back to your room. You passed your dear cat, Anubis and he shot passed you and met you on your bed. Each of the wizard portraits that lined the halls and your room gave you a look of pity, it only frustrated you more.

Hot tears fell down your face as you angrily packed your things, silently thanking Ben for the undetectable expansion charm he casted on your satchel. You hurriedly dressed and made sure you grabbed the moonstone ring Madam LeVoir gave you a lifetime ago and approached your Kneazle. “Go to Ben’s I’ll meet you there,” you whispered against his soft fur. He gave you a rub against your head in return and disappeared in a flash.

You took one last look around this room, reassuring you took every single item you owned, and you too, disappeared. The ring apparated you far away to Madam LeVoir’s storage room, where she worked quietly at her desk.

“Mon chere,” she turned to look at you. Your eyes were already bloodshot as she caressed your face and brought you into a hug. Quickly, you explained everything that had transpired this evening, including the leather bound journal that seemed to never leave your father's hand. Her own eyes betraying everything in her thoughts. For a moment she looked apprehensive.

“There is nothing more I can teach you to protect yourself but you are more than welcomed to take whatever you’d like from the shop. I faintly remember you taking interest in some of the strength magic potions, take as many as you need but be mindful- keep them to yourself and trust no one with them. Many will fall under her spell and become addicted to the power it unlocks but I trust that you will not succumb to that fate.”

You gave her a curt nod, unsure of what to say next. 

She rushed you into her shop and you took everything she handed you unsure of what was what exactly. A few vials of this, a handful of that herb, two charms of who knows what, all you knew was you needed to go- to move, leave Paris behind. Overwhelmed, you sat in the middle of the shop. Tired eyes filled with tears.

“Cher, I know you need comfort but it will not find you here,” Madam LeVoir placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, kneeling to be leveled with you. In her hands were five of the red power potions, she handed them to you carefully. 

The two of you leaned towards each other and she gave you a tight hug. “Go now child and never come back,” she whispered. You let her go and stood, placing the vials in your bag.

In a blink of an eye, you were gone from Paris for good.

When you opened your eyes you saw the familiar entryway to the Organa Manor. White walls and furniture leading the way to the grand staircase in the middle of the room. To your left was an open door way that your wonderful familiar, Artemis, ran from. Behind him, the Minister of Magic herself, Leia Organa trailed.

“Oh, my dearest, what has happened to you,” she came towards you and embraced your shaking body. You gave her no words other than a tight hug. She ran her fingers over the top of your hair, doing her best to soothe you for a moment before pulling away, “Ben is in his room, I’ll send a maid up with your things and some tea for the two of you.”

You gave her a curt nod and bounded up the stairs with Artemis. At the top, you turned to face her, “Thank you Mrs. Organa.” A gentle smile crossed her face and she waved you off. 

Hurried footsteps led you down the corridor where you knew your best friend’s room was. Three gentle knocks on the door and you heard him say, “Yes, mother?”

“It’s- it’s me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this bad? Yes. Do I care? No.
> 
> This was SUCH an incredibly difficult chapter to write, I know a lot of you (if not everybody lol) is here for Kylo. I want to get back to him SO FAST so I needed to hit some very specific moments in this chapter that pushes the MC in a certain direction even if that meant losing my mind at trying to pace this well. Also, friendly reminder, this is not beta read lol sorry.
> 
> Anywho, I hope y'all still like this and I hope you'll stick with me even after my sporadic postings. Love ya!
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr, @slutsofren!

**Author's Note:**

> I'll give the first easter egg for free! It's the scene we see in Severus' flashback from the final film! This was an easy one, hope you all can spot the others~ The first few chapters are going to be slow, it's mostly going to be world building but soon, oh so very soon, there is going to be some delicious Drama (TM) if I do say so myself ;^)
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr (@slutsofren) if you love it or hate it or want to discuss anything~


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